The Rivers State Police Command has arrested four suspected members of an armed robbery and kidnapping syndicate allegedly responsible for violent crimes across parts of the state.
The suspects were arrested during an intelligence-led operation, with police recovering several firearms and ammunition believed to be linked to their activities.
The command’s spokesperson, ASP Blessing Agabe, disclosed this in a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Wednesday.
Agabe said the operation followed a directive by the Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Adepoju, for intensified raids and targeted operations against criminal elements in the state.
According to the statement, operatives of the Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU), led by the unit’s commander, stormed Rumuekpe Community in Emohua Local Government Area on October 4, 2026, following credible intelligence.
The police identified the suspects as Chinemerem Uchewo, from Rumuekpe Community in Emohua LGA; Michael Ishaka, from Adabor Community in Eket LGA, Akwa Ibom State; Abdulahi George, from Oduoha Community in Emohua LGA; and Gideon Okah, from Elele Alimini Community in Emohua LGA, who was arrested in Owerri, Imo State.
The command said preliminary investigations linked the suspects to alleged armed robbery and kidnapping incidents in Choba, Elele Alimini, Emohua, and Rumuekpe communities.
Agabe added that the suspects allegedly confessed to their involvement in the robbery and murder of Joseph Onyeka in Rumuji Community on July 23, 2026.
They were also accused of attacking and shooting Inspector Womoma, a police officer attached to the Rivers State Police Command, while he was on duty at a checkpoint along the East-West Road near Elele Alimini Junction on August 4, 2026.
The police said the recovered exhibits included two AK-47 rifles, two pump-action rifles, one English-made double-barrel rifle, a locally made revolver pistol, and 58 rounds of live ammunition.
The statement added that efforts were ongoing to arrest other members of the suspected syndicate who remained at large and bring everyone connected to the alleged crimes to justice.
Meanwhile, Adepoju commended the operatives for their courage, professionalism, and commitment to combating violent crime in the state.
He assured residents that the command would sustain intelligence-led operations and investigations to dismantle criminal networks and recover illegal firearms.
The police commissioner warned suspected criminals and their collaborators to abandon their activities, stressing that the command would continue efforts to bring perpetrators of armed robbery, kidnapping, and other violent crimes to justice.
He also urged residents to provide credible information about suspicious activities in their communities, assuring them that information supplied to the police would be treated confidentially.
